Absorbent, open-celled foams are useful in a variety of absorbent garments and other absorbent articles for personal care and medical use. These materials possess dimensional stability, structural integrity, and an ability to spontaneously recover to an original shape when squeezed or folded.
In many such applications, a material combination is needed which receives liquid on one side, and absorbs it, yet which is substantially leak-proof on the opposing side. To this end, open-celled absorbent foams have been laminated to another material, such as a barrier layer, which prevents the expulsion of liquid on one side. A wide variety of suitable barrier materials have been developed which are substantially impermeable to water and aqueous liquids. Some of these materials are breathable to water vapor, to facilitate wearer comfort of an absorbent garment containing the material.
Many absorbent garments and other absorbent articles possess multiple layers which perform different functions. While the multiple layers optimize the performance of the article, the layers typically require separate fabrication, processing and cutting, as well as suitable lamination to each other. In today's cost-cutting environment, there is a need or desire to simplify the manufacture of absorbent articles by providing individual materials which perform multiple functions previously requiring multiple layers.